This blog represents an exploration of ideas and issues related to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in the 21st century Western context of religious pluralism, post-Christendom, and late modernity. Blog posts reflect a practical theology and Christian spirituality that results from the nexus of theology in dialogue with culture.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Interview by Alternative Religions Educational Network

An interview with me has just been published by the Alternative Religions Educational Network in their newsletter ACTION. It appears in the Litha 2012 edition which can be read in our online browser at this link on pages 17-23. The interview is reproduced below:

The Foundation for Religious Diplomacy.

Interview with researcher, writer, and speaker on intercultural studies, John W. Morehead

By Christopher Blackwell

It
started with a sloppily written editorial by Rob Kerby, Senior Editor
of Beliefnet, “What can the Third World teach the “civilized” world
about witchcraft?”

But
what perhaps surprised me most was a guest editorial on the Wild Hunt
on May 3, 2012, entitled Guest Post: “Hunt for Charity and Sound
Arguments, Not Witches” by Paul Louis Metzger and John W. Morehead that
defended the right of the Pagans and Wiccans to be upset about the
beliefnet article.

Why was I surprised? Only
because it came from a most unlikely sources, from two Evangelical
Christians who also suggested the value of serious dialogue between
Pagans and Evangelical Christians, among others, though the Foundation
for Religious Diplomacy.

Now
normally you could not find two separate groups more at loggerheads
then Evangelical Christians, and Pagans, so I was curious to learn more
about this and contacted John Morehead who agreed to give this
interview.

As he stated in response to my
inquiry, “I doubt many Pagans would be interested in a discussion of
Christianity per se, but my work in dialogue with Pagans, and my call
for Pagans to consider putting together a chapter in our Foundation for
Religious Diplomacy, might be of interest to a larger segment of your
readers.” Here’s the interview:

Christopher: I
would imagine in some ways both of us may have a bit of a feeling of
being Daniel in the lion’s den, to use the Christian metaphor, in
dealing with the other side. So how did you become interested in contact
with other religions, while being within the Evangelical side of
Christianity?

John: Thanks for the interest in
discussing this with me in your publication, Christopher. I’m glad we
were able to find a facet of this issue that might be of interest to
some of your readers.

I have always been
interested in the diversity of practices and beliefs in the world’s
religions and spiritualities. I think in part it’s a personality thing.
But in my academic studies as well as my personal life, I have been
interested in diversity of perspectives, various angles of understanding
in my work, like religious studies, sociology of religion, anthropology
of religion, and other perspectives, all with an eye toward developing a
better understanding of religion past and present. But I think part of
understanding involves moving beyond reading about the religion of
another, and actually engaging those in other religious traditions. If
at all possible this is best done through ongoing relationships, and
over the years I have been able to spend time talking with people about
their religious commitments, and developing relationships with such
people too. My areas of dialogue focus have been in the areas of Islam,
Mormonism, and Paganism.

As to Daniel in the
lion’s den, there is certainly a level of distrust and anxiety about me
in Pagan circles, and some of this comes through in the comments section
of The Wild Hunt essay you introduced this interview with. But by and
large, once we are able to talk, and initial fears are addressed, and
people hear my views on topics, then there is greater openness to
continued conversation. Some Pagans even express appreciation for my
work from time to time, believe it or not.

Christopher: Could you tell us something of your areas of study and training that lead to this?

John:
I received an MA in intercultural studies from Salt Lake Theological
Seminary, where I wrote my thesis on Burning Man Festival and approached
that subject matter from sociological and theological perspectives. For
many years now I have been involved in the academic study of new
religious movements, including Paganism, and have written on these
topics in journals and books, including those wherein my work has been
critiqued not only by other scholars, but also by those in the religious
traditions I’ve written about. So for example, I was asked to write an
essay summarizing Paganism for a forthcoming book by an Evangelical
publisher. After drafting my piece I ran it by two Pagans, Gus diZerega
and Jason Pitzl-Waters, asking for their feedback and critique. This
self-critical and dialogical approach helps me do a better job at
understanding, representing, and relating to others.

Beyond
my academic training and ongoing research and writing, I have also been
involved for many years in inter-religious dialogue. It began in
northern California where I’m originally from, and has continued with my
move to Utah for graduate studies. In California I was involved in
Muslim-Christian studies, whereas in Utah I have been involved in
dialogue with Mormons and Pagans. As a result of the latter work I was
able to serve as editor of a book by Philip Johnson and Gus diZerega,
Beyond the Burning Times: A Pagan and Christian in Dialogue (Lion,
2008). This brought together a Christian in Australia, and a Pagan in
the United States, who talk about various issues related to our
respective religious traditions and the public square.

Christopher: What is in it for Christians to have this dialogue?

John:
I think there’s something of benefit in dialogue for everyone,
regardless of one’s religious or irreligious convictions. We all benefit
from understanding, accurate representation of the views of another,
civility, relationships, tension-reduction, and peacemaking.

But
beyond this for the Christian community dialogue gives us an
opportunity to follow the practice of Jesus. In the Evangelical
subculture we have long talked about “What Would Jesus Do?”, and yet
this question has largely not been asked in relation to Jesus and other
religions. But if Evangelicals revisit the Gospels and look at Jesus and
his interactions with Gentiles and Samaritans, we can see what kind of
approach he used which can then be applied to our own engagement with
those in other religions today.

Some Christians
do this, of course, but many times they come away with a negative
approach. They look at passages in the Bible where Jesus denounces the
religious leaders of his day, and they assume this is how we should
engage other religions. Renounce in the name of truth! However, the
Gospels reveal something very different. Jesus does use harsh language
at times, but its against the religious leaders of Judaism who abused
their power and privilege. He does not do this among rank and file Jews.
Perhaps even more surprising for some, if we look at how Jesus engaged
Gentiles and Samaritans we see that he often engages in ways which seek
understanding, operates on an informed basis of their culture and
religion, and involves two-way communication - a dialogue. Interested
readers can pursue this in depth in Bob Robinson’s new book Jesus and
the Religions. But the point is, that one of the benefits for Christians
is that they can be involved in dialogue as a way of following the
teachings and example of Jesus. Of course, there are many other reasons
as well, but desiring to emulate Christ surely must top the list for
Christians.

Christopher: What is in it for the Pagans to have this dialogue?

John:
Well, I’d point to the same general benefits as I mentioned for
everyone else, regardless of religion, for starters. Beyond this, there
still remains a great deal of misunderstanding and misrepresentation of
Paganism in popular culture. One way Pagans can address this is to have a
place at the table of religions in dialogue. This allows Pagans to
describe their own religion, and to put personal faces on an otherwise
abstract array of practices and beliefs. It is far easier to
misunderstand and demonize an abstract system of thought than it is a
person or group of people. Pagans can help prevent much of the
misrepresentation if they describe themselves in relationships and
conversations with others. This in turn will hopefully lead to less
persecution and civil rights abuses so that future Pagans don’t have to
go through litigation so that deceased service members can have Pagan
symbols used as grave markers, and so that those falsely labeled as
Pagans or “devil worshipers” won’t become the victims of false
imprisonment for alleged satanic crime.

I know
that the preference for many Pagans is simply to be left alone to
practice their pathway in peace. I appreciate this, but for those
willing to take the risks involved in inter-religious dialogue there are
many practical benefits for everyone.

Christopher: Pagans might wonder how does this become something more than just another attempt to be evangelized?

John:
Hopefully my thoughts a moment ago painted a broader picture for
dialogue than merely as another form of evangelism. Beyond this,
dialogue can include evangelism, but must not be reduced to only this or
any other single element, in my view. But the question of the relation
between dialogue and evangelism is an important one that must be
discussed. In recent years the Christian community has been more aware
of problems in this area where concerns of colonialism, identity theft,
and coercion have been leveled against Christian missionaries. Some
organizations, such as the World Council of Churches, have set forth
statements which warn against these unethical forms of proselytism, yet
also leave the door open for ethical forms of sharing of faith concerns.

This
is one of the major concerns expressed by Pagans, and it needs to be on
our agenda as Christians and Pagans move forward in dialogue. It is a
sticking point for Pagans and Christians, arising for both groups out of
the values of religious identity and freedom, but very different
conclusions are reached. For Pagans, they don’t want to be evangelized,
as previously mentioned, they just want to be left along to practice
their Pagan pathway. For Christians, they feel an obligation to share
the story of Jesus as persuasively as possible. How do our religious
communities move beyond this impasse? It is true, that dialogue can
include evangelism, however, Christians must recognize that evangelism
can only proceed as part of dialogue if the dialogue partner expresses
an interest in such matters. If not, then evangelism should not be
practiced. Christians must be sensitive to the concerns of some,
including Pagans, that evangelism is seen as a form of coercion and
identity theft by those in other religious traditions. I believe it is
possible to be fair to everyone’s convictions and religious traditions
so that Christians and Pagans can come to the dialogue table together,
allowing Christians to retain evangelism as an essential part of their
religion, and yet for the Christian to concede that this is largely
unwelcomed by Pagans, and therefore it should not be part of the
dialogue agenda.

Christopher: So how does this lead to Foundation for Religious Diplomacy? Who all is involved?

John:
Thankfully, my work in inter-religious dialogue led me to the
Foundation for Religious Diplomacy. This organization is the brainchild
of Charles Randall Paul, FRD’s founder and president. Randall recognized
years ago that dialogue needs to take place, and he has created a
non-profit organization with chapters based in differing religious
traditions. So there is not only an Evangelical Chapter, but also a
Mormon one, as well as a Mahayana Buddhist Chapter, two chapters in
Islam, and a Jewish chapter. These chapters are facilitated by people
who are respected in their religious traditions who work within their
religious community’s to train them for dialogue. There is a Board of
Directors and Senior Advisory Fellows. I sit on the former, and also
serve as the Director of the Evangelical chapter. Those interested can
learn more about FRD by visiting the website at http://www.fidweb.org

Christopher: What other chapters are forming and what chapters are there that might yet form?

John:
You can see from the list of existing chapters that more need to be
formed. In fact, depending upon the diversity of a given tradition,
several chapters may need to be formed within an overall tradition. So
for example, there are both Shia and Sunni Islam chapters, and the
Jewish and Buddhist traditions may need to expand in their areas. I head
up the Evangelical chapter, and my hope is that this can also serve
Mainline Protestants, but certainly a separate chapter for the Roman
Catholic tradition would need to be explored. Also, I have had some
conversations with Pagans in the U.S. and U.K. about the possibility of
creating a Pagan chapter of FRD. There seems to be some interest, and I
hope this possibility is seriously explored so that a more formalized
and centralized dialogue venue can be created for the Pagan community.

Christopher:
What does dialogue do and how does one go about it without it falling
into the name calling and shouting that talking about religion often
ends up in?

John: That kind of question would
take a book to adequately address it. There are a lot of concerns about
“dialogue” with all of its historic baggage. It’s suspect even in
Evangelicalism. I prefer to talk about inter-religious relationships and
conversations. Dialogue is just the practice of getting to know people
and how to talk to them about some of their deepest convictions, doing
so without compromise, and sharing in civility. What we can do is learn
and teach various habits and skills about listening, two-way
conversation, fairness in representation of the other, trying to
understand another as they understand themselves (or as closely as we
can get as outsiders), civility in our conversations, and the ability to
agree to disagree agreeably. We tend to demonize the opposition and do
little other than reinforce our boundaries and trounce the opposition.
We do this in politics as well as religion. There is a different and
better way forward which can be learned and then taught to others in
order to make our post-9/11 world a better place to live in.

Christopher: Are there any examples of this kind of religious dialogue people can see for themselves?

John:
I’d recommend the book I mentioned earlier, Beyond the Burning Times,
for an example of a Pagan and Christian doing this. Beyond that, at FRD
we are finalizing a website platform titled the World Table of Religions. It is a forum where people will sign up, create a profile,
watch people engage in peer-reviewed and rated dialogue, and then get
involved in the process themselves if they want. These dialogues are
then archived so people can learn about good dialogue processes. The
website is a prototype now so I can’t give out the website address yet,
but will go live this summer. It’s going to be a big deal, and a great
forum so people can see this and learn to do it themselves.

Christopher:
If any Pagans should prove interested in setting up some form of
chapter themselves, how do they go about it? Are there any costs
involved? Are there any ground rules they might need to know about?

John:
I’ve touched on some of this above, but those Pagans interested in
being part of a potential chapter would need to be in agreement with the
principles of the FRD as discussed on the website. They would also need
to determine whether one or several chapters would need to be created
to serve the needs of the Pagan community. What would those look like
and who would head these up? Once these foundational questions are
answered then I can work with Randy Paul and any interested Pagans in
exploring how the chapter would be formed and launched.

Christopher: Where can people learn more about the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy?

John: They can visit the website at http://www.fidweb.org
and learn much more. Our contact information is there. There is also an
article from The Deseret News in Utah. Take a look and get in touch
with us with further questions. Hopefully some of your readers will want
to get involved.

Christopher: Do you find
yourself in any controversy within the Evangelical movement for your
wiliness to be in dialog with non-Christian religions.

John:
At times, yes. For some Evangelicals the assumption is that to become
involved in dialogue involves compromise. Or that I will inappropriately
combine Christianity with aspects of the religions of my dialogue
partners (syncretism). I think there are many fears underlying some of
this, and I recognize these fears, but I don’t think they’re
insurmountable or push dialogue beyond the boundaries of being an
acceptable Christian practice. Indeed, I would argue that it needs to be
not just a practice, but also an emotion or attitude toward others that
is part of a lifestyle that one lives in relation to those in other
religions. So while I do receive a lot of controversy from Evangelicals,
dialogue is too important to let such critique stand in the way.

Christopher: Don’t you also have some other intercultural interests?

John:
Yes, I am fascinated by religion in popular culture. In particular, I
am interested in hype-real religions, those spiritualities and social
identities that come as a result of the intersection of the fantastic
and religion. This includes religions like Jediism (based upon the Star
Wars mythology), Matrixism (based upon the Matrix films), the Otherkin,
and vampires as a few examples. This phenomenon fascinates me, and a new
book came out, Handbook of Hyper-real Religions(Brill, 2012) with
my essay on Matrixism. I also research and write on the religious and
cultural aspects of horror, science fiction, and fantasy in pop culture,
and the paranormal is an area of great research interest as well. I’ve
written for various websites and my own blog on these topics, and I’m
co-editing a few books on it, including (with Kim Paffenroth) The Undead
and Theology (Wipf & Stock, forthcoming), and (with Tony Mills and
James Ryan Parker) Joss Whedon and Religion (McFarland, forthcoming).

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About Me

As a cognitive adventurer, I am an academic researcher, writer, and speaker in intercultural studies, new religious movements, theology, religion and popular culture, and multi-faith engagement. I have an M.A. degree in intercultural studies which involved a thesis on Burning Man Festival, which is now available in book form through Lambert Academic Publishing in 2011 and available at Amazon.com. I am also the Director of the Western Institute for Intercultural Studies, and the Custodian of the Evangelical Chapter of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy.